Being a hockey player in the National Hockey League is something that most fans can only dream of doing within their lifetime. Getting to play under the bright lights, in front of the cameras and all while making millions of dollars is something that many aspire to, but what happens when those bright lights get turned off?
For former National Hockey League goaltender Scott Darling it turns out that it was something of a struggle in the earlier going. The former goaltender started his NHL career off well with 3 solid seasons as a backup for the Chicago Blackhawks, but a 4 year contract from the Carolina Hurricanes following that stint in Chicago would prove to be the final deal of his NHL career.
The wheels would fall off for Darling in Carolina and after two poor seasons with that organization he was shipped off to the Florida Panthers for the purpose of a buyout. Darling’s 4 year stint in Carolina came to a sudden halt, and Darling admitted that he had to battle depression in the early going.
“I got depressed when I retired,” said Darling as per NHL.com. “I was depressed for six months; I didn’t know what to do with my life.”
Depression can be all consuming and in Darling’s case it was particularly difficult to handle. The former NHL player had lived a regimented life for years at this point and suddenly there was nothing left for him to do. Darling admits that he had to find a new reason to motivate himself and get out of bed in the morning, and the answer came in the rather unexpected form of stand up comedy.
The normally quiet Darling says it all just sort of happened one night by happenstance.
“I never thought I’d actually do it but I was at the Laugh Factory in Chicago and this guy by the name of Ray Wisbrock walked on and he was hilarious,” Darling said. “My humor is very dark and true stories about my life and this guy had the same type of humor, an older guy and he recognized me in the lobby from playing for the Blackhawks. We became great friends and he said, ‘Just open for me one time, and if you don’t like it, I’ll never ask you to do it again.'”
Darling took him up on his offer and as you might expect things did not go swimmingly his first time in front of a live audience. In spite of the setback though, Darling was hooked. The former NHL goaltender says the adrenaline rush he gets from going up on stage reminds him of the feeling he would get during an NHL game, and perhaps that has filled the void left by the end of his professional hockey career.
As for heckler’s Darling says he has encountered a few and enjoys the experience every time. Unfortunately though he believes most people are simply too intimidated by him to heckle him.
“I mean I look like I’m in the Hell’s Angels so people don’t really mess with me too much,” said Darling.
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